A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity For Collectors
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A bronze cast from the only sculpture by Leonardo da Vinci known to exist is being offered for sale. The sculpture's owners have engaged Art encounter, a noted art dealer and gallery based in Las Vegas, Nevada, to conduct the sale. The selling price is $100 million.
The sculpture, dubbed Horse and Rider, was cast using a mold made from the original beeswax scale model created by Leonardo in the early 1500s. The model depicts Leonardo's friend and patron Charles d'Amboise, the French governor of Milan, on horseback. Scholars believe the model was to be realized as a life-sized bronze monument, but d'Amboise died in 1511 and the project remained unfinished.
The model was passed down through generations of owners and its provenance established through decades of intense academic and scientific study. Its period and place of origin was confirmed by the Oxford University Research Laboratory for Archaeology and History after testing samples from the model, while Dr. Carlo Pedretti, regarded as the world's foremost authority on Leonardo's life and works, concluded the work was by Leonardo's hand.
Horse and Rider is being curated by Art encounter President Brett Maly, a recognized fine art expert and appraiser who has appeared frequently as an authority in the media, including The History Channel and the Travel Channel. "The sculpture was cast by American Fine Arts Foundry in 2012, using a wax pulled from a latex mold of Leonardo's original," Maly explained. "The detail is extraordinary."
Notable details on the work include the artist's initials, "LV," which were identified by noted Leonardo scholar Professor Ernesto Solari, and fingerprints believed to be Leonardo's. Dr. Pedretti, who examined the cast, confirmed that "all details of the wax model are present in the bronze."
"I have inspected the art and spent years studying its history, scientific analyses and expert assessments," Maly continued. "I'm completely convinced of its authenticity and value."
"Horse and Rider's 500-year journey from Italy to Switzerland to England to America is fascinating," said Scott Ferguson, Executive Director of Art encounter. "It's a miracle Leonardo's beeswax original survived long enough to be realized in bronze. We are extremely honored to represent such a historic and important work."
"Horse and Rider is in a vault and available for viewing by appointment only," said art historian and owner representative James Petty. "We also welcome Renaissance and Leonardo scholars to inspect the art."
Detailed information, including a full history, videos and other pertinent facts about the art from its inception, is currently available at www.DavinciHorseandRider.com.
For inquiries and additional Information, please contact Brett Maly, Art encounter 5720 S. Arville Street, Suite 119, Las Vegas, Nevada 89118 | 702-227-0220
About Art encounter: Art Broker Rod Maly and President and Certified Fine Art Appraiser Brett Maly formed Art encounter in 1992. For more than 30 years, Art encounter has been recognized as Las Vegas' best resource for fine-art-related services, with on-site experts offering art sales, valuation, and authentication. They have examined, appraised and assisted with the purchase and sale of artworks by some of the most prominent artists of the last 150 years, including Picasso, Warhol, Cezanne and Dali.
Media Contact:
Brett Maly
Art encounter
702.227.0220
[email protected]
SOURCE Art encounter
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